Best Practices in Applying Public-Private Partnership (P3) to US Transit Facility Electrification

The growing number of state, county, and city regulations aimed at achieving zero-emission goals is a significant driver pushing many agencies to transition to electric fleets within the next 10 to 20 years. Despite the accelerated timeline and increasing social/political demands, many transit agencies do not have internal capability required for developing, managing, and operating transit electrification infrastructure, or the required capital. To meet these challenges, some transit agencies have explored the potential for using a Public-Private Partnership (P3) delivery method, yet their practices and lessons-learned are neither documented nor reported broadly. In response, this study aims (1) review the current P3 policies and regulations in the US and (2) to benchmark three successful P3 application cases to transit facility electrification in the US. The study results include P3 policy/project enablers and barriers, P3 contracting structure, and roles and contributions of private partners. The findings of this study will support transit agencies and their stakeholders when considering the use of P3 to accelerate their electrification projects.